Multiple fuel tank servicing system for aircraft



Dec. 8, 1953 D. SAMIRAN MULTIPLE FUEL TANK SERVICING SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed July 26, 1944 II I-\ INVENTOR d] BY 2 $65 as hN NAN Dec. 8, 1953 D. SAMIRAN 2,661,761

MULTIPLE FUEL TANK SERVIC NG SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT 5 S heetsSheet 2 Original Filed July 2-6, 1944 Dec. 8; 1953 D. SAMIRAN MULTIPLE FUEL TANK SERVICING SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT Original Filed July 26, 1944 E N N R3 I I '1] l 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 3, 19 53 sAMlRAN 2,661,761

MULTIPLE FUEL TANK SERVICING SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT Original Filed July 26, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 YINVENTOR. 0/41/47 firm/Q4 47- Q/vEyJ v Patented Dec. 8, 1953 MULTIPLE FUELTANK sE-av-remo SYSTEM FOR AIR-CRAFT David} samiran, Dayton, Ohio Continuation of application Serial No. 546,728;

July 26, 1944. This application: January '31, 1950, Serial N0. 141,567 F Claims. (01. 137-235) (Granted under Title 35,

sec. 266;

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This application is a continuation of my application Serial No. 546,728, filed July 26, 1944, and now abandoned.

This invention relates to a system for refueling an entire group of fuel tanks of an aircraft simultaneously,

Fuel servicing systems now commercially available are equipped with pumps having a delivery rate of several hundred gallons per minute, and it is one of the objects of this invention to take advantage of this high delivery rate by dividing the flow from a pump of this kind among a number of tanks, as for instance among all ofthe tanks of one wing of a large multimotored airplane.

Since it would not'greatly facilitate the servicing of a series of fuel tanks simultaneously if a separate connection were required to be made and unmade to each of the several tanks, it is another object of the invention to permanently connect the filler openings of the several tanks by means of a manifold having a branch extending to each tank and a single connection on the manifold to which the main supply hose may be attached.

In aircraft which employ a plurality of fuel tanks, it is not unusual that onetank may have greater volumetric capacity than the next, whereby, in pumping into a number of tanks simultaneously, the several tanks will become filled with fuel, one after the other, in the order of their capacity, which requires that fuel must be'shut off from successive tanks as they get full. However, it may also happen that several tanks will reach the completely filled'state at the same instant, in which case itmay be difficult for the attendant to shut off several tanks at one and the same time if it is required to be done manuall It is, therefore, another object of the invention to provide, in a {multiple servicing system of this character, valve means on each tank, responsive to a predetermined fuel level condition, forau-tomatically closing each tank against further fuel entry when it becomes filled to the predetermined level, and since such valve means will each respond separately to the fuel level in the particular tank to which th y are attached, the several tanks may be placed'at different levels or they may be located one above the other. Moreover,

the shut off valves may be permanently 'con- '55 5. co e @532:

est in. e 1 212 su aces o Several an thereby to avoid the necessity of removing" and replacing a plurality of theeonventional riller a hen the tanks are i i e Where a group'of fuel tanks arethus arranged for simultaneous mungnmay become desirable fill w r mer 'Qlnl of the group Without filling the entiregrolllif i' it may becoindsirable to shut off one or more of the tanks when they are partly but not campaigns- 1w? It is therefore anotheiobject-of thei'nvention to provide manually operable means foreac'h shut-oi? valve whereby it may b'e'clos'ed, against the fuel flowing through it to thetank, before, or at any'stage heservicing"operation.

i a answerer i' i o e er he n di closed wherei the fu l e n pumped must be conveyed through a main supply "hose and nozzle vans; ther-i throughbranch pipes and shut-off valves to the several tanks, 'itnecessarny follows t y considerable volume of run amounting to atleast-severalgallons, will beleft in the conveying piping when all of the shiitL-bfl valves automatically clos' against' further fuel inflow, Ifth rvicinghos' is'now disconnected without consideration being; givento" thisc'o'n'dition, the several gallon's in the piping may-be spilled, which is not om-y wasteful of fuel -but constitutes aconsiderable fire hazard. e t is therefor'anotlier'objectof this invention toprovide' autom jmeans whereby themain servicing vervemay'not hes-hut off for disconnecting'the'servicing 'hose until thepun' lp has been reversed andthe conveying hose and piping pumped clean'of fueland vapor;

I attain the foregoing objcts'and advantages in the apparatus snare fullyfdecribed, reference Being-nae to' the drawings, whereihz. W v. Fig. 1 is a schematic view'of my improved fuel hereinafter servicing system, :showirigone wing of an airplane, several fuelftanks of varying" capacity which are carried in thewing'fthe necessary piping and-hose connections, a ce servic ng 'tank"'-truck equipped with"a 'h;igh delivery'ca} pacitypump. V Fig. is-a view, principally inaxia-l section, of the main servicin'g nozzle wahns'ifis nua11y 'operjable valve and its pressure responsive-11 cc which prevents manua l'closingof th nozzle valve" until the pump nasten "reversea and' the piping va pg qd a V a Fig.-

an axial section through a shut off valve,;one of whichisp rmarfefitly's'ecurd an opening' of eacr'i tank cftiies'ries shcwn ifi F igi 3 1, the valve in this view being shown in the normal or closed position.

Fig. 4 is an axial section, taken on the line 4-4 pf Fig. 3, through the shut-off valve latching -mechanism, this mechanism being actuable man- ;ually to set the valve in the open position, actuable automatically by a full tank condition to fclose the valve, or actuable manually to close the valve when that is desired before automatic closing is effected.

, Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the shut-off valve latching mechanism of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an end view of the shut-off valve latching mechanism shown in the process of setting the valve of Fig. 3 in the open position.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but with the valve in the open position.

Fig. 8 is another end view of the shut-off valve latching mechanism as it appears when tripped manually to close the valve without waiting for automatic closing to be effectuated.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Fig. 1 is a schematic View of my improved refueling system, arranged for application to four fuel tanks [8, l2, i i, and it which are contained in one wing 18 of a four motored airplane. A conventional refueling tank-truck 26 is provided with a high delivery rate fuel pump 22 having the usual pressure relief valve 24 which returns c fuel from the discharge side of the pump back to the suction side when the pump discharge line is restricted to less than the full delivery capac ity of the pump. A reversing valve mechanism 26 is also provided for changing the pump valving whereby the direction of fluid flow through the pump is reversed, the pump taking in fuel from what is normally the discharge pipe, and discharging it through what is normally the suction pipe back into the truck tank. As an alternative to reversing the pump connection, the direction of rotation of the pump itself may be reversed.

In my improved system, the several tanks are each provided, on the upper surface, with permanently affixed automatic shut-off valves 23.

Valves 28 are normally closed tight, a valve being manually latched in an open position only when the tank to which it is attached is to be refuelled and it closes automatically only when the fuel in the tank has reached the desired filled level.

.Means are hereinafter described whereby these valves may be closed manually at any time. Ac-

cess doors (not shown) may be contained in the wings, upper surface through which the automatic shut-off valves may be repaired or replaced.

.The conventional vents 29 are provided in the tanks. The conventional capped filler necks 3B are also retained in case it becomes desirable to fill a tank in the customary manner.

On the end of the main supply hose 32, which receives the discharged fuel from the pump 22 through two branches 34, is a main fuel supply nozzle 36 which is internally equipped with a .valve mechanism which may be opened manually but may thereafter be closed only after a negative pressure has existed within the nozzle. The

.reason for providing this feature will hereinafter be more fully disclosed.

A manifold pipe 38 has a plurality of branches 40 which are permanently connected to the several shut-off valves 28, and a single branch 42 extending to the main fuel supply nozzle 36, the nozzle and its branch 42 being connectible by a quick attachable slip joint hereinafter to be de scribed. Manifold pipe 38 may be rigid, but branches is and 42 had preferably be made of lengths of flexible hose. The three branches 40 taken together may preferably have a flow capacity equal to the main hosev 32, 42. Likewise the flow capacity of both small hose 34 should preferably equal that of the main hose 32. The entire manifold, including the main branch [52 had preferably be contained within the wing structure and form a permanent part of the installation, the wing being provided, preferably in its underside, with an access door (not shown) through which the main nozzle 36 may be attached to the manifold when a refuelling operation is to be effected.

While the schematic view Fig. 1 shows only four separate fuel tanks connected by a single manifold, it will be obvious that the manifold may conveniently be extended to include fuselage tanks, or it may be extended to embrace the several tanks in the other wing of the airplane.

fitting 58 is fastened by screws 56, a gasket 52 being interposed between the flanges to insure a pressure tight joint. A hose fitting sleeve 54 is permanently fastened to the fitting 58 by welding or similar means and is inserted in the main supply hose 32 (see Fig. 1) and securely fastened therein with hose clamps or equivalent means.

Body Mi also has a flange 56 to which a flanged outlet hose fitting 58 is fastened by screws 69, a gasket 62 being interposed between the flanges. One member 64. of a quick operating slip joint 66 is secured to the flange 58 by welding or equivalent means.

The mating member 88 of the slip joint 66 is provided with a series of external annular grooves in which yieldable seal rings iii are carried. A plurality of circumferentially spaced detent balls i2 lie in openings which extend through the wall of the member si l and into a shallow annular groove it in the periphery of the removable member 68.

. A slip ring 15 has an internal diameter which at "i8 is slidable over the member 64, at is closely fitted around the circular row of balls 72 and at 82 is large enough to allow the balls 12 to move radially outward and out of the shallow groove i l when the slip ring is moved axially to the right. A stop ring 84 limits axial movement of the slip ring. An operating rod 86 has one end connected to the slip ring as at 88, the other end 90 being brought to a position conveniently within the attendants reach. A hose fitting sleeve $2 is welded or similarly secured permaand member '68 thus-become a part of the permanent installation which remains with the airplane, while the member 64 remains attached to the nozzle 38 and thus remains a part of the permanent installation on the tank truck.

A main nozzle valve 94 is centrally disposed in the nozzle body 4t and comprises a cup-shaped valve guide 95 centrally supported in the body with a cup-shaped valve head 98 axially slidable therein, a renewable valve disc fill being held on the head 98 with the nut [02.

An auxiliary valve 504 has a head I06 and a stem I08 integral. A nut H0, threaded on the stem, holds a renewable disc I I2 secured on the 31 ;;r.v.ib 1L4. th eexmetviheee 195 ar a ally slidable in the central opening orizlle ih head the mike h vineeheulelere 1.116 en ithe' whe tthe auxilia y va ve-he d tie RQI$FQQQDW5WII1 lltrt e 'hee it e. 'ttt l ee teet he mainwel e h ad a the imainevelvewillvbe eeeenedhy the eameetem and withlt e am m vemente ene evt eeu it husetheaexilie v val eu illalweyis y aheadet hemaihve e The tree- :ie th eleenetmetien will beeem eh ieu a the ,.es. :.r;ip.tim .Pteeeeee 1A eelamelyetrehg -.er hg L18 trees-the aux- [il' 'lsz valv m. t I l se agains t e e a lit-in the m m e. e'he dfl =wh eh trees the @ele wel etp eelee --ee 4n the seat 1242 the te e h9 44- .A. .emel :hel' lee thr gh th wel th .:eu ee eped velv teuide fifi makes-e petef the t les epihet eltteefi an elitism that the valve 94 may not close-m rapiqly.

:fJh v l e st m lee extenes :t mee ane is ell hleih th hub of the v lve guid .26 the up end. f he t mheinelette reu h at L. :teeeive .the lev r 25- Jey whi h. th valve wett st- Lever I26 is fulcrumed at l2;.8 ,lthe ,vvorl; arm .-3. .e theleve -ea enemein e th ele 124, the w erm 13 e n nterpo e i the path of ill ee tin rst m letl. fIheope-ret nestem 4 emete e-frem-th va ve-h l th ugh a. hri e e e ee inec ihe lee ,Amax uelly e e e lezl ve ime pivota lv sup- .n 4 .e.n an .arm M2 which exten s up em ii-Q. the whotly AM- The W02 i, end. 1.4.4. pf the e aee ljeeeh th eeute r end ef the ep- EKQt Ag-Stem letl whet hy Pul ingpewer an 55 Qfthe manual lever .138. ee ard euehes th operating'stem 134 downward to open the valve. -A.-hem1 e .e in L48 sl tted at let for th end 1& eft e memeuever eneanqt h LEN .set.. atethe-ee ner .n DI the qt 15! e th th en .53. pflth'elevenmey reet qnvtllel-ngtchto l old .tlieY-valvee ehteatime upwat om the. ell .4 .a .lqpetekve-t. 156' iwhieh carri s a flan 1 .8 at its u per e Flange 1 513 is ghembered ea at lfi Ja led a emallpe eeeway 1 2 J en ee'ts the ch m- .b'e rto the inside of the Tvalve body 4.4,. A'flangfed .he lethg 1 A ea e' heel. press re tight to th flan e tee. efbe ews. L65 wi hintheheu ihe t-' heeehe.=encle teehed oeawei e-ltt wh-ieh haw ..l.e' e= e tte Queuin wher by interi e 'themellewe-is .CQQIEQWQQQ the chambe tame .tlltelaehthe paseeeewa ezteith nteri r efth ve vebetly 4.4.

"tree end the lee ews lti i'iie cles elilw he 'l lite, which al k nej ih 1 .1 ieee resthy er. eim ex meeh 'e ieh en i le e e ei e e the e le s e-e.en ted;teatmee- ,nh emallzeeenine 16- hne ket i em h .We ikenfi m titheteenuel levex lee ibee h ali wi hi hel kinen h1:12, whenl e ft e e 9t he mehue l e is .reete he teteh. I.. an ha .thettimeither fii eit telhieee te within .ithe valve h es; All, the leehi:.1 -.;mn,wi1;1leeeea d.inlehemehet fleljan Ith" eatt' r. e m huftlleverme met be e ee e axle hemmed. t9. the eleeezl v lvepeei ien until a :s eeieht. neg tive ressur attains. W thin th e ep yiihe zleee ahpee'xleeeri 'is thoug'ht'to be nevvapart'from the'i'est'ofthe "I5 he r new b guide 292.

2-3 5 to raise -t he valve stem .l'li dlifQtJl pllili itter. retemlto .e stem the .hevel being .pre ldine .ve x Qt th s type w tha manua valve .epeningmeeh- .aniem, which, when. .Qne perated to o en a valve, cannot be operatedto c 956 it until negative pressure hesbeen .mttodue d n he al interior.

Referring now m e par icularly t Pie 3 which shows the automatic s u -el valve 12,8. vert c l .axie 'seet on and wit h v l n h normal or closedposition a valve'bocly l'BUihas a upper fla t8? o which a co er E8 is .Ia ten dby screws. 1%, eeeket l'88'bei interpose between the cover and flange. Valve body .0 also has .a-l w L-nehe latte .whicha Qieeha ee enou L8? is .-.s .eures1iby .serews; .a-geehet 18,6

sle ve. els lliintegra wi h 'the'ibptly 1.83 fit .inte .ail hgth o ih ee milie .is .eecurezl there-- why suitablehose Clamps.

A ate s u -eff v lv .200 i .eentr ll .le e th hetly .5. 1 .e p-ehaned va euiide 1 centrall sup orted. i the bod wi h eme peel valve h edr e'l vertically l deble herein va ve li'e zlit i iheld on the head QMby meansnf a. me '93- A aux a y e vezl l ha ah ad?" angle st i inte al A; ne "2L5; hre ded en t em "ho ls the. re ewab e d s; 21:5 .e eere on th ead. Ribs' te exteniratii lyimmt hub f h vth e f 2,,.-:. ei. out r e Qe bein a ly l 'de e i the. c ntral eeenine .ot the lar e he d i R bezl yha e eheuh' e is :21"! e0 .pes t e d' het whe g he m lie ty ve e'he diis a s a mi d d stance he? :i he tem "2 :4 th e e e 226 Will cont ct t e ma n. l-velhead and he n. va e .h atlzwi cb ,epened y s m ith the .e me ilevemeht V pehecl .theauxiliaz y valve "head; The auxiliary va ve will th r m'e a wevs'q en sli htly ahead of the-large valve. Y

A v clos ng exing3 ,2.e ie d blyfheld zth au i y va e h ad "2 2 eeeinet its sea 2 tin th large l he d 204- szh eh in item 111Q1L15 .themain va ve aeeihe he ee ttm'ii h hed 150, A vent 2'2fi'i1f1 the lgpper wall of the valve -guide 1562 makes a dash pot. ofthe valve guide and-the valve hea'cl; ;to preve t tqorapiel. olosigg of lghe valves, 'jljhe valve 'stem 2M extends th ee n t e le inf h hllb. 0f th va v T highe e d .Q th s em 2 t e slotteql' th-rqq gh al "2391M receive the lever "232 by which the valves are. opened,

Valve .open-i g lever -23; fulcrumed at 234, the-work arm i36';0f'thejlever exte-ndingjnto the zelo :9 he rp we rm "'2 8"b i;1 g int tpe tlzin the pat-h pfthe valve operating rod 2E8, The

--valve ogeratingmopigm emerges' fmlli the valve body 1 fiij throqgh a s oring pressed packing 242. ward evem m ort-hev lte pe n t ff liztt ae t e e er a m :8 a ses :t wo arm 2%; which opens ;.the auxiliary valve 12H! and-equalizesthe "P18551118 a v :e he ew *t e eree e Qte t et th arg va ve may e a s d. mor easil When the -2 ft ehe ee' hehett m .ef hev v hee 2,13 th auxi iary v lve reached t lim t .Qf. i s eveni g .ens the eetter anvtenthe upwalfdj evemeht Q the. stem. .21 ra e ar l ef-"tt. .Qf seath til it i wiee pen seen n H e-1 y le eh. meehe ie zfl ,mzev eled.telzferelne he. valve v Qeer tihe.1:ed.l. 4.t nseam. .tetlte.open .v ye eit.i h .i 'e. z l telu 'e it 1 that position wilfnext'be des'cribd;

iiaee "on, r

A shaft 246 has bearing in brackets 248 and 256 extending from the valve body I86 said valve body thus forming a framework for said bearings. Rod operating lever 252 and shaft rocking lever 254 are both fast on the shaft 248 whereby forward movement (forward being anticlockwise in the drawing), imparted to the shaft by the shaft rocking lever 254 will impart forward movement to the rod operating lever 252, a boss253 of which in turn pushes the valve operating rod 246 inward and the projection 255 of which engages the notch 251 of the latch 259 to hold the rod in the inward position. Latch 259 is hinged on the valve body 188 at 26!.

A pawl 256 engages the lug 258 of the lever 254 for imparting forward movement thereto. Pawl 256 is carried on an arm 266 which extends integrally from the hub of a bevel gear 262, the bevel gear hub being freely rotatable on the hub of the lever 254.

A bevel pinion 264 is in mesh with the bevel gear 262. A shaft 266 to which the bevel pinion is secured has rotative bearing in a bracket 268 which extends upward from the bracket 256. A sheave 216 is fast on the upper end of the shaft 266. A short length of cable 212 has one end wound around the sheave in such direction that pulling on the cable moves the bevel gear and the pawl forward, i. e., anticlockwise in the drawing. A torsion spring 214 is provided for returning the sheave 216, gear 262, arm 266, and pawl 256 to the home position after it has moved the lever 252 far enough to have the projection 255 of the lever caught and held by the latch 259,

whereby the rod 246 is latched in the open valve position. A hand grip 216 is provided for each cable (see Fig. l). The part of the mechanism for releasing the latch 259 manually so as to allow the valve to close, will next be described.

Between the rod operating lever 252 and the shaft rocking lever 254, is a latch release lever 286 having a lug 282 for the pawl256to engage and a stop limb 284 for arresting further backward rotation of the pawl when the home position is reached. It is noted that the pawl 256 is wide enough to operate both the shaft rocking lever 254 and the latch release lever 286. A pin 285 extends laterally from the shaft rocking lever 254 into a lost motion slot 281 in the latch release lever 286. A latch disengaging arm 289 Q extends laterally from the latch release lever 286 and is adapted, when the latch release lever is moved forward to its extreme position, to act on the cam surface 29l and trip the latch 259 which allows the valves to close. 286 rotates freely on an eccentric 286. Shaft 246 passes through the eccentric 286 rocking freely therein. The eccentric 286 is itself secured against rotation by means of a screw 288 which fastens the eccentric to a bracket 296 which extends laterally from the hub through which the valve operating rod 246 passes. The two operations, one for opening the valves and latching them in the open position and the other for tripping the latch manually for allowing the valve to close, are substantially as follows:

Starting with the valves closed and the latch mechanism 244 in the home or closed valve position as shown in Fig. 3, the attendant pulls the cable 212 to cause the pawl 256 to move forward and act against the lug 258 to turn the shaft rocking lever 254 and the rod operating lever 252 forward, whereby the lug 253 pushes the valve operating rod 246 all the way in,

'whereby the valves are open. This allows the Latch release lever 8 latch 259 to catch and retain the projection 255, whereby the valves are latched in the open position.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that when the pawl acts against the lug 258 of the shaft rocking lever 254 it will pass right over the lug 262 of the latch release lever 286. This is because the lug 282 of the latch release lever 286 is now on the low part of the eccentric 286. However, by the time the pawl has passed over the lug 282, the pin 285, which in the home position Fig. 3 is in the rearward end of the slot 281, will be in the forward end of the slot 261, and thereafter further advance of the shaft rocking lever 254 by the pawl 256 will turn the latch release lever 286 so that the lug 282 will now be on the high part of the eccentric 286 as seen in Fig. 6. In this position the notch 251 of the latch 259 catches and holds the projection 255 of the rod operating lever 252, whereby the valves are latched open.

When the attendant now releases the cable 2l2, the pawl moves backward and clicks over the lug 282 of the latch release lever 286 and returns to the position shown in Fig. 7 where the pawl has dropped in back of the lug 282 of the latch release lever 286.

If it is now desired to close the valves manually, the cable is again pulled, but this time movement of the pawl 256 turns the lug 282 of the latch release lever 286 to a position alongside the lug 258 of the shaft rocking lever 254 (see Fig. 8) which coincidentally causes the latch disengaging arm 289 of the latch release lever 286 to act on the cam surface 29! of the latch 259 which trips the latch and allows the valves to close. The mechanism for tripping the latch automatically in response to a full tank condition will now be described.

The outer or free end of the latch 259 is hinged at 292 to a bifurcated upper end of a stud 294, the lower end of the stud being fastened to a diaphragm 296 by means of a screw 298. The outer edge of the diaphragm 296 is held between a lateral extension 291 of the fuel outlet spout 192 and a diaphragm cover 299, the cover being secured to the extension by screws 36!. A spring 366 urges the stud 294 upward. Spring 366 rests on an externally threaded disc 382 which is fitted into an internally threaded sleeve 364 which is freely rotatable in a depressed portion of the diaphragm cover 299, whereby rotation of the sleeve 384 adjusts the spring 366. Pins 366 fast in the cover 299 extend loosely through holes in the disc to prevent it rotating. Slight spaces around the pins 366 and stud 294 connect the space 868 above the diaphragm to the atmosphere. The space 3E6 below the diaphragm is adapted to be subjected to sub-atmospheric pressure as will hereinafter appear.

Eccentrically disposed within the fuel outlet spout 92 is a float casing M2, the upper end of which is in communication with the interior of the valve body 186 when the valve is'open by way of the jet 3M, and in communication with the space 3"} below the diaphragm 296 by way of the passageway 3l6. A passageway 3" connects the jet 3I l to the space 316, whereby downward movement of fuel through the jet creates a suction in the passageway 3H. A float 3l8 is freely movable carrying a disc 326 which, upon upward movement of the float, covers and closes the passageway 3l6. A pin 322 limits downward movement of .the float in the casing.

1 In order to insure that an adequate supply of the outlet of the valve body by a spring 326, the

valve spindle 2I4 being extended downwardly for carrying a support 328 for the lower end of the spring.

The bottom of the spout I92 is closed by a conical member 330 which is held on by screws 332. Lateral openings 334 on the side wall of the spout are provided for the discharge of fuel. Upward extensions 336 of the discharge openings 334 are brought up high enough to insure that, when the valve shuts off, the level of the fuel will not be above the upper edges of the extensions, for if it were above this line, then some of the fuel would necessarily have to be pumped out 'of the tank before the valves, piping, and nozzle could be evacuated by reverse pumping.

he automatic shut-off valve 28, above described, is not consideredbroadly new, a similar shut-on valve being shown and described in the copending application of samiran and Fink, Serial No. 480,162, filed March 23, 1943, now Patent No. 2,420,341, granted May 13, 1947, the novelty in the shut-off valve 28 shown in the present application being in the manually operable latchin'g mechanism whereby one pull on a cord latches the valve in the open position, and the next pull lets it return to the closed position.

The complete refueling system had preferably be operated substantially as follows:

Connection of the tanks I 0, I2, I4, and I6 of the airplane, to the pump 22 of the tank truck 29, is made by telescoping the parts 64 and 68 of the slip joint 65 of the nozzle 36 and locking them together with the operating rod 86-33 and collar 75 as shown in Fig. 2.

The automatic shut-off valve 28 of each tank which is to be filled, should now be shifted to, and locked in, the open position. This is accomplished by pulling the cable 212 on each valve as far as it will go. The latch mechanism 244 will then be in the condition shown in Fig. 6 until the cable is released, whereupon it will take the position shown in Fig. 7.

The lever I38 of the nozzle 36 may'n'ow be drawn up, and the end I52 caughtin the notch I 54, whereupon the nozzle valves '94 and I04 will be open. The tank pump 22 is then started, and, when the pressure rises, the locking I12 will be seated in the pocket I18 to prevent manual closing of the nozzle for the time being.

' A's pumping proceeds, it may become desirable to stop pumping into one or another of the tanks before it is full. If such a condition occurs, the cable 212 of that particular tank may be pulled, whereupon the latch release lever 280 of the particular shut-off valve will operate the latch disengaging arm 289 and trip the latch 259, whereby the tank in question is shut off against further fuel inflow. The latch mechanism 244 will then appear as in Fig. 3. A

Any tank which has not been shut off manually as above described before it becomes filled, will do so automatically as soon as it is filled. For example, as fuel flows into the tank, part of it flows through the jet 3M, which creates a saction byway of the passageway 3|"I in the space 310 under the diaphragm 296. But as long "as the passageway 316 is open, the suction in the-space 310 will be. insufficient to pull the diaphragm down. However, when the fuel rises in the tank high. enough to lift the float 3I8 so that the disc 320 closes the passageway 3I-6', the suction in: the" space 3M at once become great enough t trip-the latch 259and allowthe valves to close, whereupon the latch mechanism will again appear Y 'When,refueling of the tanks has been completed-as above described, and the shut-off valves are all closed, the relief valve 24 of the tank truckpump :22 will momentarily pass the entire capacity of the pump from the discharge side back to the suction side. when the attendant finds that all of the shut-off valves are closed, he reverses the suction and discharge connections on the pump bymeans of the valve lever 26 whereby the pump evacuates whatever fuel remains in the hose, nozzle, piping, and shut-off valvesand returns ittothe truck tank 20. After the liquid fuel has all been evacuated from the system, operation of the pump 22 may be continued until the fuel vapor has likewise been drawn from the system, air being drawn in through the vents 28 and extension 336 up through the valves -2 00-2I0 which, although resiliently heldin the closed position, will nevertheless pass fuel or vapor in the reverse direction. It is noted, howeven that in pumping backwardly through the spring closed check valves 200 of the shut -off valves, a considerable vacuum will be created within the :nozzle and other conduits. When the system has been thus evacuated to the point where the negative pressure in the nozzle 36 withdraws the locking pin I12 from the pocket I13, the end I52 of the lever I38 may bereleased from the notch I54 to allow the nozzle valve to close and the handle operated to unlock the slip joint 66 and thereby disconnect the nozzle 36 from the branch 42, whereupon the refuelling operation will be completed.

While in the foregoing procedure in the operation of the system, the shut-01f valves and the nozzle valves were latched openprior to the -start ing of the fuel pump 22,- it is noted that the pump may be star-tedfirst and the valves opened thereafter, inasmuch as the shut-off valve arrangement and the nozzle valve arrangement each comprises a large and a small valve with mechanism for raising the small valve ahead of the large one, whereby only a fraction of the force is required to open the large valve against the pressure being created by the pump for the reason that the pressure is somewhat equalized above and below the large valve by thefuel flowing through the small valve. r

Furthermore, while in the operation of the system above described, the nozzle manually latched in the open position by placing the end 152 of the lever the notch I54, and is unlatched manually after the locking .pin I12 has been automatically released by the negative pressure of evacuation, the notch I54 may be omitted if the pump is started before the nozzle is opened, for then the locking .pin I12- will snap into the pocket I78 when the end I46 of the lever I38 is raised to the up position and will remain there until it is automatically released by the negative pressure of evacuation.

Having described my improved refuelli-ng syst'em, I claim; v

i. For 'controlling an'axially movable rod which is spring biased to anunoperated position; a manually operable latching device which comprises a shaft, bearings-for said. shaft, a framework for supporting said bearings, a shaft rocking lever and a rod operating lever spaced apart on and secured to said shaft, acollar between saidlever's fixed against rotation on said framework: eccentric to'said shaft, an operating-rod release lever rockable on said eccentric collar, a pawl arm adjacent the shaft rocking lever rockable on said shaft, a pawl on said arm wide enough to engage the shaft rocking lever and the operating rod release lever, a lug for said pawl to engage on the shaft rocking lever, a second lug for said pawl to engage on the operating rod release lever, positioned thereon so that, when the operating rod release lever is at the starting position, said second lug will be opposite a low side of the eccentric collar, whereby said pawl will pass over the top of said second lug and engage the first said lug, and when said operating rod release lever has rocked halfway of its movement, said second lug will be opposite a higher side of the eccentric collar, whereby the pawl may engage said second lug, a rod operating boss and a latch engaging projection on the rod operating lever, a pawl stop limb and a latch disengaging arm on the operating rod release lever, a lost motion connection between the shaft rocking lever and said operating rod release lever whereby rocking said shaft rocking lever through the first half of its movement does not move the operating rod release lever, but rocking said shaft rocking lever through the second half of its movement rocks the operating rod release lever through the first half of its movement, whereby one actuation of the pawl arm moves said operating rod to the operated position and latches it in that position, and the next actuation of the pawl arm releases said latch and allows said rod operating lever to return to its unoperated position.

2. For controlling an axially movable rod which 0 is spring biased to an unoperated position, a latching device which comprises a rockable shaft, a shaft rocking lever and a rod operating lever on and secured to said shaft, a collar eccentrically positioned on said shaft but fixed against rotation, a rod release lever rockable on said eccentric collar, a pawl arm rockable on said shaft, a pawl on said arm for engaging the ends of both the shaft rocking lever and the rod release lever so positioned that when the free end of the shaft rocking lever is at the starting position, the free end of the rod release lever will be opposite the low side of the eccentric collar whereby said pawl will pass over the end of said rod release lever and engage the end of the shaft rocking I lever only, and when said shaft rocking lever has rocked half way of its movement, said rod release lever will be opposite a higher side of the eccentric collar, whereby said pawl may engage'said rod release lever, a rod operating boss and a latch engaging projection on the rod operating lever, a pawl stop limb and a latch disengaging arm on the rod release lever, a lost motion connection between the shaft rocking lever and said rod release lever whereby rocking said shaft rocking lever through the first half of its movement does not move the rod release lever but rocking said shaft rocking lever through the second half of this movement rocks the rod release lever through the first half of its movement, whereby one actuation of the pawl arm moves said rod to the operated position and latches it in that position and the next actuation of the pawl arm releases said latch andallows said rod operating lever to return to its:

unoperated position.

3. In combination, a fluid conduit,- pumping means on one end of said conduit for selectively creating suction or pressure in said conduit, a nozzle comprising a hollow body having an inlet vents, valves and branches when said float actu-' .12 and an outlet, said inlet being connected to the other end of said conduit, a check valve at said outlet biased to prevent flow of fluid from said outlet, a resilient means for holding said check valve closed, a manual means for overriding said resilient means and moving said valve to open position, a manually releasable catch for momentarily holding said manual overriding means in the valve open position, a latch engageable for locking said manual overriding means in the valve open position, a pressure responsive means for operating said latch, a passageway located between said check valve and said conduit connecting the hollow of said valve body to said pressure responsive means, said pressure responsive means being thereby made operative by fluid under pressure in said conduit to engage said latch with said manual overriding means to thereby hold said manual overriding means in valve open position and operative by fluid under suction in said conduit to release said latch from said manual overriding means, thereby to allow said manual overriding means to be returned by said resilient means to the valve closed position, whereby, Whenever said valve is in the open position and fluid under pressure is introduced into said valve body between said check valve and said conduit, said valve is locked open and may not thereafter be closed manually unless fluid under suction is first introduced into said valve body between said check valve and said conduit.

i. In combination, a fluid conduit, means on one end of said conduit for selectively providing suction or pressure in said conduit, a nozzle comprising a hollow body having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being connected to the other end of said conduit, 21. valve at said outlet closable to prevent flow of fluid from said outlet, a resilient means for holding said valve closed, a manual means for overriding said resilient means and moving said valve to open position, a latch for locking said manual overriding means in the valve open position, a pressure responsive means for operating said latch, a passageway upstream of said check valve connecting the hollow of said valve body to said pressure responsive means. said pressure responsive means being thereby made operative by fluid under pressure in said conduit to engage said latch with said manual overriding means to thereby hold said manual overriding means in valve open position and operative by fluid under suction in said conduit to release said latch from said manual overriding means, thereby to allow said manual overriding means to be returned by said resilient means to the valve closed position, whereby, whenever said valve is in the open position and fluid under pressure is introduced into said conduit said valve is locked open and may not thereafter be closed manually until fluid under suction is introduced into said conduit.

. 5. Refuelling apparatus for an aircraft fuel system comprising a fuel supply, a group of vented fuel tanks to be filled, a valve for each tank, a manifold having a distributing branch extending to each valve and a receiving conduit extending to the fuel supply, a float actuated mechanism associated with each tank adapted to close said valves at a selected fuel level but arranged to allow backward flow through said ated mechanism has operated, and a reversible pump for pumping fuel in one direction through said valves into said tanks and in the other di- 13 rection for pumping air through said vents, valves and manifold.

6. In a fuelling system, the combination of a series of fuel tanks each having an inflow opening and a vent, a manifold having a branch conduit extending to each inflow opening, a hose connec tion in said manifold having the inner end in flow communication with said manifold and the outer end formed to receive a servicing hose nozzle, a valve structure in each tank, flow connected to the outer ends of the branch conduits, adapted in the closed position to prevent fuel ou flow through said branch conduits, float mechanism associated with each said valve structure adapted to close said valve at a predetermined fuel level and one-way valve means including in said valve structure adapted to permit flow backwardly through said vents, said branch conduits and said manifold through said hose connection.

7. In combination, a series of vented tanks, a manif ld h vin a branch conduit extending to an inflow opening in each tank, a source of pressurized fuel, fluid conducting means having one end flow connected to said manifold and the other end flow connected to said source of pressurized fuel, valve mechanism comprising means closable to arrest flow through said fluid conducting means into said tanks but permit flow through said vents, valves, branch conduits and fluid conducting means in the reverse direction, and means to selectively change the pressure in said source from positive pressure to negative pressure.

8. Refuelling apparatus for an aircraft fuel servicing system comprising a fuel supply, a group of vented tanks to be filled from said supply, a shut-off valve for each tank, a manifold having a distributing branch extending to each valve and a receiving conduit extending to the fuel supply, a float operated mechanism associated with each tank adapted to close said valves against further fuel inflow at a selected fuel level, and means to cause positive pressure in said manifold to move fuel through the open valves into said tanks, and negative pressure in said manifold to draw excess fuel and/or vapor from said manifold backwardly through said valves and to draw air in through said vents.

9. Refuelling apparatus for an aircraft fuel servicing system which comprises a fuel supply, agroup of vented fuel tanks to be filled from said supply, a shut-off valve for each tank, a manifold having a fuel inflow branch extending to each valve, and a receiving conduit extending to the fuel supply, a float operated mechanism associated with each tank adapted to close said valves against further fuel inflow at a predetermined fuel level below said fuel inflow opening, pressure means to force fuel through said fuel inflow branches into said tanks, and suction means to withdraw fuel vapor backwardly through said tank, valve, and manifold, and air into said tank through said vents and valves after said valves have closed, against further inflow.

10. Refuelling apparatus for an aircraft fuel servicing system which comprises a fuel supply, a group of vented fuel tanks to be filled from said supply, a shut-off valve for each tank, a manifold having a fuel inflow branch extending to each valve, a fuel supply nozzle, and a receiving conduit extending to said fuel supply nozzle, a float actuated mechanism associated with each tank, adapted to close said valves against further fuel inflow at a predetermined fuel level below said fuel inflow opening, manual means to latch said shutoff valves in the open position, manual means to latch said nozzlein the open position, pressure means to force fuel through said fuel inflow branches into said tanks, suction means to withdraw fuel vapor and air from said valve mechanism, said nozzle, and said manifold and air through said vents after said valves have closed against inflow, and nozzle unlatching means operable by said suction.

' DAVID SAMIRAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 334,268 McKenzie Jan. 12, 1886 1,580,493 Johnson Apr. 13, 1926 1,736,933 Morgan Nov. 26, 1929 1,746,814 Benedict et al Feb. 11, 1930 1,865,886 Clingingsmith July 5, 1932 2,160,741 Jensen et al May 30, 1939 2,362,559 Jauch Nov. 11, 1944 2,509,978 Ksieski May 30, 1950 

